Tilting At Windmills, because maybe Don Quixote had a point…

Some weeks life just sucks up your time

Week 1 into my “New Body by CrossFit” was a little less than stellar. However, I have only my own life to blame for it.

Last Saturday, I hit my first class, I blogged about it (which generated more support than I ever could have hoped for) and then… I whiffed on the rest of the week.

The first class at CrossFit1Force went very well. Everyone was really cool and supportive. The workout, which was an introductory class called “3-2-1,” was great. I had very helpful and positive instructors, Kevin and Meredith. There were four other people in the group – three of whom that had the same look as me, “ok, I can do this… don’t be scared… oh crap, now I have to do something… what was that move…? please don’t let me be the first person to screw up… hey, that wasn’t too bad… this is fun… I may be sore in the morning… wow, what a great workout…!”

When it was all done, I felt exhausted but weirdly exhilarated. I hadn’t had a workout that strenuous since my last football practice in high school. Even the next morning, though I was sore and moving a little slow, I still had a very positive feeling. I was looking forward to my next class.

And then life got in the way.

Monday – snowstorm, locked in at home

Tuesday – get the family off to school/work, work, evening volunteer meeting

Wednesday – get the family off to school/work, work, evening work meeting

Thursday – get the family off to school/work, work, dinner with family, catch up on chores

Friday – get the family off to school/work, work, work late – miss class

Saturday – morning “3-2-1” class

So here’s the thing, there’s really no place to lay blame. Because of where I live, where CrossFit1Force is located and where I work, I can’t attend weekday pre-work classes. I can’t control the weather. I have to do my job, which occasionally requires me to work late. I’m a member of the Knights of Columbus, which means twice a month I have council meetings, and one occurred last week. I have a family, I’d like to see them occasionally.

That’s life. Well, that’s my life anyway.

So, how do I deal with that and still get into shape? I forget last week. Yup, put it out of my mind.

There are going to be stretches where life says, “sorry, pal, you’re not getting the workout in, I need you to focus on this instead.” The key is, when the schedule breaks my way, I have to make sure I’m focused and ready to get back into the workout regime. I can’t let those fleeting windows of opportunity appear and instead of hauling my ample derriere to CrossFit, I decide to park it on the couch and watch Big Bang Theory re-runs.

That’s the real danger. It’s not life getting in the way, it’s letting laziness fill those precious few hours when I can focus on the things I need to improve. I also may need to strive to find a better work/life balance, but right now I can only play the hand I’ve dealt myself.

Next week I hope to make CrossFit on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. If life pops up and messes with my plans, I look for other days. If it becomes another dud week, I toss it, and try again. Failure happens. It’s not the end, just a hurdle.

Oh, but here’s one thing I realized, I found the person I might have a chance to resemble when I finally get this CrossFit thing worked out: Joe Manganiello. Ok, so mostly I choose him because he’s the only famous person I know with as much gray in his beard as I have. But also, the dude is ripped:

Perhaps more Panza than Quixote

Mike Walsh is a public relations professional with insights into a myriad of topics and just headstrong enough to rant about them. (If you don't see a post for a while, it probably means I'm earning some freelance money writing/shooting professionally - http://www.thedailyjournal.com/section/HAMMONTON)